Motor-powered toothbrush with improved brushing action

ABSTRACT

A motor-powered toothbrush has a drive generating a reciprocating rotary movement, and a toothbrush attachment element, including a holding element connected to the drive and a head for acting on a teeth of a user, the holding element obtaining the reciprocating rotary movement from the drive and transmitting it to the head so that the head performs the reciprocating rotary movement, the head having a circular outer surface, so that after cleaning one group of teeth, when a user then applies the head to another group of teeth it is not necessary to orient a portion of the head in correspondence with the other group of teeth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to toothbrushes, and more particularly to motor-powered toothbrushes with improved brushing action.

Motor-powered toothbrushes are known in the art. Usually, a motor-powered toothbrush includes a drive providing corresponding movement, and a toothbrush attachment element including a holding part connectable with a drive for obtaining the movement and a head which applies an action on teeth in a mouth during the operation of the toothbrush. Some of such motor powered toothbrushes are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,201,190; 2,827,794; 2,912,706; 3,088,148; 3,104,405; 3,233,265; 3,369,265; 3,400,417; 3,588,936; 3,851,984; 4,506,400; 5,613,258; 5,842,249; 5,974,615; 6,785,926.

It is believed that the existing motor-powered toothbrushes can be further improved.

Motor-powered toothbrushes are known, in which the drive generates a reciprocating rotary movement, so that the head of the toothbrush on it also performs a reciprocating rotary movement and improves cleaning of teeth.

However, the brushing head in the existing toothbrushes is formed as a substantially parallelepiped-shaped head. Because of this, after a user brushed one part of the teeth, in order to brush another part or another side of the teeth he has to turn the toothbrush and to orient the surface of the toothbrush head to be applied directly on the new set of teeth, which requires corresponding manipulations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a motor-powered toothbrush which is a further improvement of the existing toothbrushes.

In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a motor-powered toothbrush which has a drive generating a reciprocating rotary movement; and a toothbrush attachment element, said toothbrush attachment element includes a holding element connected to said drive and a head for acting on a teeth of a user, said holding element obtaining the reciprocating rotary movement from said drive and transmitting it to said head so that said head performs the reciprocating rotary movement, said head having a circular outer surface, so that after cleaning one group of teeth, when a user then applies said head to another group of teeth it is not necessary to orient a portion of said head in correspondence with the other group of teeth.

When the head of the toothbrush attachment element of the inventive motor-powered toothbrush is designed in accordance with the present invention, it is not necessary to provide complicated manipulations relation when a user finishes cleaning one part of the teeth, and then has to clean another group of the teeth for example in an opposite part of a mouth, since with the circular shape of the toothbrush head, regardless of the way the toothbrush head is applied to the new set of teeth will contact the surface of the new set of teeth and will perform the same reciprocating rotary movement over them.

Another feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a motor-powered toothbrush wherein said drive provides said reciprocating rotary movement around an axis, and said head has an outer surface which is concentric with said axis.

A further feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in that said head is composed of a plurality of individual elements which are spaced from one another in a circumferential direction around said axis and in a longitudinal direction along said axis.

A further feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a motor-powered driven toothbrush, wherein said head has an outer surface which has a helical shape.

A further feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a motor-powered toothbrush, which is provided with means for connecting said holding part of said toothbrush attachment element to said drive.

A further feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a motor-powered toothbrush, which has at least one additional toothbrush attachment having an additional holding part and an additional head, and said head of said first mentioned toothbrush attachment element and said head of said additional toothbrush attachment element have different sizes.

A further feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a motor-powered toothbrush, wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different diameters, or different lengths, or both.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a motor-powered toothbrush in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of an inventive motor-powered toothbrush;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a further embodiment of the inventive motor-powered toothbrush.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A motor-powered toothbrush in accordance with the present invention has the drive which is identified in general with reference numeral 1. The drive 1 includes preferably a motor providing a rotary movement, with a conversion or transmission unit which generates, at an output shaft 2 of the motor, a reciprocating rotary movement around an axis A.

The drive 1 can be formed as a standard unit which is commercially produced, for example by Braun AG, Germany. Details of such a unit are shown and described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,615. Reference to this unit is given herein only as an example and any other standard drives incorporating a drive motor with alternating rotary movements of the output shaft are suitable for the purpose of this invention. The drive mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,615 includes a battery-driven electric motor and having a shaft that supports a pinion engaged with the gear wheel, which converts, via a cranking mechanism of the converter, rotation of the shaft of the motor, into reciprocating rotations of the output shaft 2.

The motor-powered toothbrush in accordance with the present invention further has a toothbrush attachment element which is identified as a whole with reference numeral 3. The toothbrush attachment element 3 has a holding part 4 and a head 5. The holding part 4 holds the head 5 and is connectable with the output shaft 2 of the drive 1.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the holding part 4 is hollow, the output shaft 2 of the drive 1 is introduced into the interior of the hollow holding part 4, and the holding part 4 is connected with the output shaft 2, for example by a threaded pin 6. As a result, the reciprocating rotary movement of the output shaft 2 of the drive 1 is transmitted to the holding part 4 of the toothbrush attachment element 3 and therefore to the whole toothbrush attachment element together with the head 5.

In accordance with the present invention the head 5 of the toothbrush attachment element 3 has a circular (cylindrical) outer surface which is identified with reference numeral 7.

The circular outer surface 7 of the head 5 of the toothbrush attachment element 3 is concentric to the axis A of reciprocating rotary movement of the toothbrush attachment element 3.

The head 5 of the toothbrush attachment element 3 can be formed by a plurality of bristles or bundle of bristles 8. All bristles or bundles of bristles 8 in the head 5 together form a cylindrical element with the circular outer surface 7.

The bristles or bundles of bristles are mounted in a distal end portion of the holding element 4, for example by inserting them into correspondingly drilled holes in this portion. They are spaced from one another in a circumferential direction around the axis A and in a longitudinal direction along the axis A.

In operation, the output shaft 2 of the drive 1 performs reciprocating or alternating rotary motions. When the toothbrush attachment element 3 is connected to the shaft 2 via the screw 6, the toothbrush head 5 performs reciprocating rotary movements. During brushing the user moves the toothbrush up and down in a vertical direction of the teeth to clean teeth. When it is necessary, for example after cleaning the left teeth to start cleaning the right-side teeth, the user just turns the toothbrush without performing orientation movements for orienting a surface of the head 5 relative to the teeth, since the head 5 has a circular surface and is formed as a body of revolution, and it will contact the right-side teeth anyway.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the toothbrush head 5 has a helical or screw-shaped outer surface as shown in FIG. 1. The helical or screw-shaped outer surface can be formed by a corresponding arrangement of the bristles or bundles of bristles. In this construction when the user applies the head 5 to the teeth and the head 5 performs the reciprocating rotary movement, the helical or the screw-shaped outer surface of the head 5 generates a component of movement which is directed around the axis A and also along the axis A to provide a screw-like action on the teeth. Therefore, the brushing action is further improved.

In accordance with still a further feature of the present invention, a plurality of toothbrush attachment elements are provided, which are different from one another. In particular, one of such additional toothbrush attachment elements is shown in FIG. 3. In all toothbrush attachment elements 3, 3′ the holding part 4 is substantially the same, to be connected to the output shaft 2 of the drive 1 by the screw 6. However, the heads are different. In particular, the heads 5, 5′ have different dimensions. The heads 5, 5′, etc., can have different diameters.

The head 5′ of the toothbrush shown in FIG. 3 has a smaller diameter than the head 5 of the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1. Such a toothbrush with the smaller diameter head 5′ is more suitable for use by small children. The head 5′ in the toothbrush shown in FIG. 3 can also have a smaller length in the direction of the axis A. It is also possible that the toothbrush element shown in FIG. 3 has a smaller diameter and a smaller length of its outer surface 7′, than the diameter and the length of the head 5 of the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1. It is to be understood that the head 5′ shown in FIG. 3 is formed by corresponding bristles or bundles of bristles 8′.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the type described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a motor-powered toothbrush with improved brushing action, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention. 

1. A motor-powered tooth brush, comprising a drive generating a reciprocating rotary and extending along an axis a toothbrush attachment element, said toothbrush attachment element extending along said axis and including a holding element connected to said drive and extending along said axis and a head for acting on a teeth of a user, said holding element obtaining the reciprocating rotary movement from said drive and transmitting it to said head so that said head performs the reciprocating rotary movement, said head having a circular outer surface extending in a circumferential direction around said axis, so that after cleaning one group of teeth, when a user then applies said head to another group of teeth it is not necessary to orient a portion of said head in correspondence with the other group of teeth, said circular outer surface being completely exposed from outside for a contact with the teeth of the user.
 2. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein said drive provides said reciprocating rotary movement around an axis, said head having the circular outer surface which is concentric with said axis.
 3. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein said head is composed at a plurality of individual elements which are spaced from one another in a circumferential direction around said axis and in a longitudinal direction along said axis.
 4. (canceled)
 5. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 1; and further comprising means for connecting said holding part of said toothbrush attachment element to said drive.
 6. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 5; and further comprising at least one additional toothbrush attachment element having an additional holding part and an additional head, said head of said first mentioned toothbrush attachment element and said head of said additional toothbrush attachment element having different sizes.
 7. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 6, wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different diameters.
 8. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 6, wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different lengths.
 9. A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different diameters and different length. 